ICYMI – Big Airlines Call for Federal Control Over Airspace, Affirm that US Aviation System is the “Envy of the World”

Washington, DC – In case you missed it, Airlines for America, the lobbying organization for the big airlines, recently penned a letter to President Trump, along with other organizations and companies, regarding unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The letter states that Federal control of the airspace must not be compromised and is essential to aviation safety.

Specifically, the letter states:

“FAA sovereignty of the national airspace must not be compromised. Federal control of the airspace is a bedrock principle of aviation law that dates back over 50 years, and is the primary reason the United States maintains an aviation safety record that is the envy of the world. Maintaining the FAA’s authority helps keep the skies safe for all aircraft – manned and unmanned.”

This comes as the airlines have been lobbying relentlessly to remove governmental control of our national air space and put it in the hands of a board dominated by private interests.

In fact, airline executives have admitted the effort to privatize the air traffic control system is about gaining control. In a meeting earlier this year with President Donald Trump and other airline CEOs, Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly admitted that the problem with the air traffic control system. “Well, we’re not in control. And I think that’s one of the things that we see as the path to having success, is we need to address the fundamental organization of the air traffic organization.”